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Josh Tompke

Josh Tompke's essay tickled us into fits of giggles. His confident, witty approach to our contest instantly won us all over with its humour, and the names of authors that he drops throughout his essay tell of a deep connection, and respect for some very powerful writers of our time. We loved his projection into the future, guessing at Pratchett and Heinlein becoming the future classic writers for upcoming generations. Very clever! Josh was a pleasure in person as well; his personality shines through when he is simply standing still. Congratulations Josh Tompke! Look us up when you're job hunting, eh?

CAREER GOAL: Teacher
EDUCATION PLANS: UFV - Liberal Arts
STUDENT PROFILE: Church worship team, community acting, school drama

It is entirely possible that, upon reading that your award was not a scholarship but, in fact, a gift certificate for books, some students may have been turned off.

"But how will I further my education by reading?"" They may have asked, with a disdainful sneer, prompting a visit from the Irony Fairy, who was later seen tearing out a dark alley, tiara askew and blood marring her frilly tutu.

Let me assure you that I was not one of thos students. The nearest thing to words I uttered as a sort of elated "Boooooooooooooooks!" which, considering I was in the school library at the time, earned me a disapproving glare from the librarian, and a smattering of giggles from girls whom had previously been ogling my buttocks and were now discussing whether or not I had Tourettes, and whether or not this made me edgy and thus, hotter.

But I cared not for their glances. Even when girls found me repugnant, books were there. All too often I went home disappointed when the librarian informed me that I could not take out more than forty books at a time. THis was, granted, when I was seven or eight, and the books in question were perhaps a hundred pages long apiece, but the attitude has continued into the present day, as is made apparent by my mountain of library fines.

I will always have a special place in my heart for Science Fiction, from the nostalgia-rich Timothy Zahn "Star Wars" novels to the masterpieces of Card. Rest in peace, Heinlein, and your brother in arms, Adams. Beloved too is Fantasy: be it imaginative Rowling, or masterful Pratchett. Humour is ever-present, especially in my favorite childhood author, Gordon Korman, My family, huddled around fires on long winter nights, tells tales of how the house did shake with laughter whenever I found a new Korman paperback.

They have all shaped me into who I am today, a socially awkward paragon of chivalry who knows big words and dies inside whenever someone shows themselves ingorant of basic grammar. I can't tell you what the rules of grammar are, interestingly enough. It would be like asking a fish to describe water. I grew up in books. I know how words should flow, skipping merrily over each other in a mad rush to construct their fantastic worlds in my imagination.

Literature, in my opinion, is what books become if studied enough. Shakespeare has definitely become literature, as has Chaucer, the works of Thomas Mallory and Lord Byron, Ibsen and Chekov. Literature is the bedrock from which all books must build, even if they are unaware of its assistance. Which of us has not used a Shakespeare saying without even knowing? Even if we try to follow the adage, "to thine own self be true" we end up parroting those who came before us. It is easy enough to say, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be", but we borrow and steal bits from history to construct the books of today, which become the literature of tomorrow. Who knows? Perhaps in six hundred years, people will be reading about Card, and Pratchett, and Heinlein.... maybe even Tompke. Stranger things have happened 'neath this star-cross'd sky.

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